Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/874823
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2017 News 5 MOSTA FOOTBALL GROUND PAMA SHOPPING VILLAGE KIND'S TECHNOPARK TRANSPORT MALTA'S SMALL SHIPS REGISTER TRIQ PANTAR, ĦAL LIJA IS MOVING TO THE OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW APOLOGIES FOR THE INCONVENIENCE FROM TUESDAY 19TH SEPTEMBER NEW OFFICES news.transport.gov.mt Minister versus unions: Konrad Mizzi is bearing his teeth after cabin crew and pilots demanded salary increases he insists are 'unsustainable' Union demands The UCC is also demaanding a 10% increase in salaries for the com- ing nine years, with their base pay of €34,000 going up to almost €60,000. When contacted, minister Kon- rad Mizzi would not comment on the matter directly but said that any industrial action now could be very harmful. "If the employees and the unions do not understand that they need to work with the company and the government while we implement changes to make the airline profit- able, the government might have no other option but to close the com- pany down completely and re-open with new staff," he said. "Let me be clear, as things stand now, it is possible – and highly likely – that our strategy will be successful and that Air Malta can survive and be profitable, but not if not all par- ties are on board with the plan." In July, Mizzi offered pilots a 5% increase in salaries against longer flying hours, an offer that was not welcomed by pilots union ALPA. Talk of industrial action had al- ready been mooted over outstand- ing pay rises. Apart from 26 days of annual leave, pilots get a statutory 'day off' of 38 hours' rest after fly- ing: that means that on average, pi- lots fly some 56 hours a month, far less than their European counter- parts. But the airline management wants pilots to fly at least 75 hours a month. As already revealed in the past, ALPA's demands in June 2016 in- cluded a 30% increase to raise ba- sic salaries to €48,000 and then up to €92,000 before additional pay- ments, apart from backdated incre- ments since the expiry of the collec- tive agreement in 2016. Additionally, MaltaToday has learnt that pilots want the 30% sal- ary increase to increment by five percentage points every year, for the next five years, from 30% to 50%. Mizzi has been adamant that any salary increments will only be given on condition that pilots fly more throughout the year. But several pilots who spoke to MaltaToday on condition of ano- nymity said flying the European av- erage should also be accompanied by salaries that match those of other legacy airlines. Mizzi has already warned that without opening new routes – which requires Air Malta pilots to simply fly for more hours through- out the year – the company will be- come insolvent "in no time". Nationalist Party reaction The PN yesterday said Air Malta employees should be concerned with Mizzi's "unprecedented threat" to close the national air- line. The PN said that Air Malta's situation had to be seen in the broader context of its contribution to the national economy and tour- ism sector, and not just as a mere commercial entity. In its statement, the PN noted that the government had previ- ously said that talks with unions representing Air Malta workers were coming along. "Were the La- bour Party's promises all talk?" the party asked. Both leadership candidates Adrian Delia and Chris Said said Mizzi's comments were "unaccep- table". Delia said the airline had granted concessions to low-fares giant Ryanair, referring to a code- sharing agreement. "As leader I will not permit this," he said. The Union Haddiema Maqghu- din also deplored the minister's comments. "We condemn this threat and attempt to put blame on the wokers. Workers should not be the sacrificial lambs for the airline's problems which have been accruing over the years because of unsustainable strategies. We stand in solidarity with workers during this time of tension and uncertain- ty, and call on the government to find an adequate resolution." pcocks@mediatoday.com.mt Cacopardo, now AD leader, says silence on abortion must end MATTHEW AGIUS CARMEL Cacopardo, the newly elected leader of Alternattiva Demokratika (AD), used his in- augural speech yesterday to call for an immediate moratorium on permits for new petrol stations and a renewed national discussion on abortion. Cacopardo said AD took 50% fewer votes in the last general election because of the party's lack of organisation. "We lack the organisational manpower to deal with such setbacks… But here we are." AD's activism had to give a voice to the weak, Cacopardo – a for- mer PN deputy secretary-general said – and be closer to the grass- roots. "We must be close to those whose homes have been sur- rounded by high-rise construc- tion that blots out the sun – a right that is constantly being ex- propriated from them by specu- lators with the blessing of the authorities. We must be close to those who want to enjoy nature in the Maltese countryside but feel threatened by lead shot... close to those who long for restful quiet but are deprived of it by the ca- cophony of noises surrounding them." He said AD had made an outsize contribution to Malta's political agenda, introducing environmen- tal consciousness, transparency and accountability as well as civil rights – among them divorce and rights for the LGBTIQ commu- nity. He said he "noted with sat- isfaction" that AD's 2008 proposal for granting 16-year-olds the right to vote had finally been adopted. On Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat's recent commitment to the phasing out of internal combus- tion engines, Cacopardo said this was also something the party had been calling for, in the hope of improving air quality and reduc- ing the incidence of respiratory illness. "But common sense says that it would make more sense for the government to also announce an immediate moratorium on the approval of applications for petrol stations that are sprouting every- where. We don't need them today and we will need them even less when we eliminate petrol and die- sel-engined cars from our roads." Cacopardo also highlighted the issue of rising rent prices. "The rental market is not working be- cause the logic of demand and supply should have led to a de- crease in rental prices and not as- tronomical increases when faced with... over 70,000 empty proper- ties." Cacopardo also called for a par- liamentary discussion on abortion rights, saying that in 2016, 58 Mal- tese women procured an abor- tion in the UK. "This means that abortion is among us. The youth parliament is right in demanding a discussion on this. It is the mini- mum required in a country that is supposed to respect ethical plu- ralism. This silence must stop im- mediately. It is not in the interest of the country to run away from problems and sweep them under the carpet." In a dig at the PN and PL, Ca- copardo referred to their scandals on ethics and corruption. "Whilst others are obsessed with free- masonry and brothels, we must remain focused on strengthen- ing our party's organisational ca- pabilities. This is the only way to translate our beliefs into concrete political action."